Hanging tree leaves Mayo families trapped after storm

FAMILIES are trapped in their homes as a result of a tree left hanging on overhead wires following Storm Éowyn.

Their plight was raised by Councillor Donna Sheridan, cathaoirleach, at a Castlebar Municipal District meeting this afternoon.

The tree is hanging over the road, about to snap, and people cannot leave their homes, she explained.

Councillor Sheridan has reported it as a dangerous situation to the relevant service provider, as have residents, but there has been no response, she said.

People are trapped in their homes and it's not good enough, said Councillor Sheridan.

Learnings from the storm were centre in a lengthy discussion today about Storm Éowyn, with Councillor Harry Barrett saying there needs to be an emergency plan in place where people know there is a location where they can go and get access to water, power, heat and possibly hot food.

People have been begging councillors to make interventions to get their power back and it was 'harrowing' to hear, he said.

The phone and electricity suppliers were accused of negligence by Councillor Al McDonnell for not ensuring trees are lower than their service wires.

Ninety-five per cent of the problems were caused by trees falling on wires, he said.

There was support for a suggestion by Councillor Ger Deere that a grant should be available for converter switches for generators, which would help people get over the worst of things if this happened again.

For medical card holders dependent on supports such as electric beds or devices for sleep apynea, installation of generators should be free, suggested Councillor Donna Sheridan.

Other issues also raised included ivy on trees and regulations not allowing chimneys in houses, as well as communication to councillors from senior management.

The council staff, services, frontline works and communities who responded after the storm were lauded for their efforts.